[sohappytobehere]

All these photographs were taken by Sam Boatman here in The Villages. Since Sam is not on social media, I am posting these photos for him. If there are any comments, I will be sure to share them with Sam.

[sohappytobehere]

And here's a few more.......

[JSR22]

Absolutely beautiful! I enjoyed seeing the photos.

[fdpaq0580]

Thank you for sharing these magnificent pictures.
Tell Sam we truly appreciate this gift.

[JerryLBell]

Have you noticed that Sam Boatman never posts his own pictures? First of all, despite the great talent and patience he shows in the incredible pictures he takes, Sam is a very modest guy. Second, some of his pictures are SO good that when he has posted them in the past, he has been accused of "Photoshopping" or faking the pictures. I know Sam and he's rather hurt by these false accusations. The ONLY thing he does to his pictures is to "crop" them. I've seen his "raw" pictures directly on the camera he's taken them on and they are just as good as what you see shared. But he doesn't spend any time arguing the point. He's too busy being out there almost every single day for hours at a time, taking hundreds and sometimes thousands of pictures a day, applying the capabilities of his very good camera and lens, his great eye and the sheer skill level he has developed over the years. Then he goes through them, eliminates the near-duplicates, selects the best, then the best of the best, then shares with a few friends. And some of those friends share them here and with the local newspaper and on other sites. We are all really lucky to have talented photographers like Sam among us here in The Villages.

[davem4616]

thanks for sharing these...not that often that you get to see these beautiful birds as they're usually way out in the marshes

[manaboutown]

Thank you and Sam! These photos are beyond incredible!